


Dallen's Stories

by Sigilmancy



Category: Original Work
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-20
Updated: 2019-11-07
Packaged: 2020-11-10 15:50:59
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,541
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20854325
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sigilmancy/pseuds/Sigilmancy
Summary: Stories about a human bard





	1. Filled Cups

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For the Weekly Pet Prompt on Subeta, prompt Filled Cups

Nobody ever had to say it, but she knew what she was; a disappointment, and a failure. Her parents expected a healthy child, one that could grow to help them not one that needed to be coddled its entire life and instead they got Dallen, born blind as a bat. There was no time or money to devote to helping her learn to navigate without sight so they left her to suffer and refused to acknowledge her. Some of her older siblings had sympathy, however, and gave the infant her name while keeping her alive and safe even if their parents would not.

But doing that was a burden. Instead of sleeping they would have to get up in the night when she cried as an infant, and deal with Dallen wanting to sleep in bed with them when she had bad dreams as a toddler. Every time she hurt herself while she was learning to navigate because she could not see the others had to cover for the one who snuck off to care for her. By the time she was ten Dallen could look after herself and had learned to navigate things fairly well without the aid of her siblings, but every night the thoughts weighed in her mind. She was holding them all back from their potentials because she couldn't take care of herself, sucking away their time, energy and money that could be spent elsewhere.

So in the middle of the night when she was eleven, Dallen took off. She packed only the necessities, including her hurdy-gurdy, and went out into the world. As a blind child this posed plenty of risk, but Dallen was determined not to be those negative things anymore. Her siblings might try to look for her, but in the end she was one less mouth to feed and one less thing for them all to worry about now that she was gone so she was sure they'd be relieved instead.

No matter where she went or how much time passed, though, those thoughts stayed with her. Dallen chose to dwell on the past, and to remember that she had been a disappointment. She could never see how much she was holding herself back by looking at the past in such a way, and being unable to move on to her own full potential, and things would remain that way for much of her life while she continued to always see a glass half empty rather than one half full.


	2. Summer Days and Summer Nights

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For the Weekly Pet Prompt on Subeta, prompt Summer Days and Summer Nights

For many the night was about watching the colorful, magical explosions in the sky. They gathered on the beach between a few large burning fires, placed strategically so that the high tide in the morning would wash over them and put out any remaining embers. People talked, drank, and generally had a good time while Dallen played her hurdy gurdy in the background. Many were entranced by the instrument's odd sound, happy to tip the young bard as she sat on a stump and played for them.

For Dallen, this night was different than it was for all of them. She tuned her ears to the lapping of waves on the shore and the crackling of the fires, the footsteps of people moving around and the sounds of their voices. The scent of salt water and smoke, and the feel of the breeze against her skin. Her music echoed in the night in time with these things, notes played in harmony with the nature that existed all around the mostly oblivious people.

The first explosion sounded, and she stopped playing. People stopped talking, scrambling to get good seats and turn their eyes to the sky while the show started. Various magic users shot off spells, woven together to create the explosions that captivated everyone. Dallen, however, was different. She closed her eyes and listened, telling the spells apart by the sounds they made and making note so she could use some of them later. After all a lack of sight didn't mean she couldn't add a little dramatic flare to her shows now and again and it would be good to know how.

When the show was done people went back to partying, and Dallen went back to playing. But she tried some of the combinations she had picked up on and ended up drawing more of a crowd to herself with it, earning her bigger tips for the evening as well. As dawn broke over the far horizon and the rising tide did its job in breaking up the fires people began to disperse, and Dallen packed it up as well. Yawning, the young bard followed the group back to town and found the inn she was saying at. With a wave in the direction of the barkeep that greeted her she made her way to her room and laid down, stretching out happily and curling up to sleep for the day. After all it was summer, and there would be near nightly parties for her to attend and play at for the season.


	3. Frail

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Done for NaNoWriMo 2019

Dallen focused, listening for the movement around her. Then she felt it, and her body turned with an unusual grace before striking, her longsword striking flesh. The basilisk howled in pain and Dallen leapt forward, her body slamming into its face and driving the sword with it. All she could do was hang on and brace herself as the basilisk flailed about but was unable to free itself as the other side of her blade had dug itself into the ground after exiting its skull, and eventually the creature lay dead. Just to make sure, though, Dallen kicked it and when there was no response she nodded to herself and made her way carefully towards where she had last heard her party, hands outstretched before she found the first statue.

"There you are. Okay, come on now." She dug around in one pocket, producing a small potion bottle and uncorking it to take a sniff and make sure she had the right one. The foul smell indicated she was correct, so Dallen stood on her toes to reach and upended the bottle over the stone in front of her then took a step back. The gasping and sputtering that followed were good signs, and she sighed with relief.

"Dallen?" The familiar voice of the fighter reached her ears and she nodded, holding up a hand.

"Don't worry, you'll be fine. Take a few minutes to get your bearings, I'll get everyone else." Dallen nodded, but now it was impossible to hide the fact that she was slowly moving with her hands outstretched to find the others and sniffing the potions to make sure she had the right ones before fixing the petrifaction that had befallen them due to the gaze of the basilisk. Each revived party member was one more who saw her like that, though they said nothing until everyone was fixed and had a moment to sit and collect themselves.

"You're blind, aren't you?" The voice of the cleric echoed in the silence, and even if she couldn't see them Dallen did feel the eyes watching her.

"Yes." She admitted quietly, making her way over and sitting down nearby.

"And what, you thought we would never find out?" The wizard asked in an exasperated tone.

"I knew you would, eventually." She shrugged, holding in her emotions.

"So why didn't you say anything?" The cleric asked.

"Because whenever I tell people before I've had the chance to get to know them and to prove I am combat capable they judge me." Dallen snapped a little bit, running a hand through her hair. "They assume I am weak, that I am frail, that I cannot fend for myself in this world. But look at what we have done together! And were it not for my blindness that basilisk would have killed you all." She motioned to where she knew the body was, her sword still lodged in its head as it lay lifeless on the floor. "I may be blind, but it has been as such since the day I was born, and I have learned how to handle it." There was anger in her voice, but it wasn't directed at any of them in particular.

Still no one said a word. The other four just hung their heads, looking at the basilisk and knowing Dallen was right. Her being blind had saved them, and were it not for this particular incident where they were all turned to stone and basically invisible to the normal senses that allowed her to navigate the world they never would have known. Consciously they would not judge her for this impairment, especially not when it had so many potential uses, but unconsciously it would be there. Dallen could deal with that, for a time, but she knew that eventually it would become too frustrating when they started to treat her differently without realizing it. Until then, though, she was happy to get up and retrieve her sword and then let the group deal with figuring out how they would take back proof that the basilisk was dead so they could get paid and move on to whatever the next job would be.


End file.
